Ittoqqortoomiit

Some of you may know of Shanghai, the vast metropolis of the east coast of China. Others may know of New York, the vast metropolis on the east coast of North America.

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Well, this is Ittoqqortoomiit, the vast metropolis on the east coast of Greenland. It is quite similar to Shanghai in that not very many people from Madagascar live there (if any) and the population is over 400.

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This is a multi-image panorama that expands to a larger size when you click on it, if you want to see more detail.

Well, OK, at 452 people in 2013, Ittoqqortoomiit is actually the second largest conurbation in eastern Greenland though that one’s about as far away as Reykjavik and there’s nothing to the north. As you can tell by the name, it’s an Inuit town and Denmark (the colonial power) subsidised settlement here to guard against potential encroachment by other countries or more likely, mining companies.

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I visited the small and charming museum.

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Here are some of the historic Inuit artifacts inside the museum.

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And here is a view out the window in the loft.

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There some family groups and individuals wandering round in colourful traditional costume but it seemed presumptuous to take photographs without asking and I didn’t want a posed image. However, these people zotting round town in their tiny vehicles were fair game.

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An interesting architectural extract from one of the buildings. At first glance it looks like a fire escape under the window but why would one bother? Well, I think it is in case of heavy snow. If there is ten feet of snow and the front door is under it, you can get in and out through the window on the top floor.

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Here we have a village of dogs.

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We saw something like a canine concentration camp near Longyearbyen. This by way of contrast is a habitation of happy huskies with their owner living on the premises.

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They’re all standing up now. Must be close to feeding time.

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… and here we go ….

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The white dog at the front is particularly interested in the prospect.

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This is Gary Rolfe, an explorer and adventurer who has traveled over 20,000 miles with his dogs over the polar regions.

4 comments on “Ittoqqortoomiit”

Once again I learn a new word. “Conurbation”. You Aussies sure know the language! What would be the daily food ration for a dog there? They have so many, it would definitely take a LOT more hunting and catching to feed them much less you. And…the panorama is to die for! Kudos!!

Thanks very much Robert. Actually, to be precise, I’m a New Zealander living in Australia. No idea how much meat the huskies would need. The size of that bag might be an indication though he may not be doling it all out. I never thought of the source. Perhaps it’s all shipped in; otherwise that would be a lot of seals over the course of a year.